Red, White and Black

by Gregory Congleton

In 1840 a Kentucky farmer converts to the abolitionist cause and leaves for Indiana to teach at a college that is part of the underground railway. A Choctaw woman and the farmer's last slave start a family on Choctaw land in Indian Territory. Their daughter and her son end up at the Farmer's college in Indiana where she is harassed and raped by another student, a young white man. Throughout the script spirits...

In 1840 a Kentucky farmer converts to the abolitionist cause and leaves for Indiana to teach at a college that is part of the underground railway. A Choctaw woman and the farmer's last slave start a family on Choctaw land in Indian Territory. Their daughter and her son end up at the Farmer's college in Indiana where she is harassed and raped by another student, a young white man. Throughout the script spirits and ghosts comment on the lives and actions of the living.

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Red, White and Black

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  • John David Westby: Red, White and Black by Gregory Congleton
    “

    Red, White and Black is a sweeping historical drama blending African American and Native American histories into haunting stage imagery and poetic spirit sequences. The play has a mythic quality as it explores painful human truths about displacement of slavery, identity, and belonging. The play’s emotional core comes through strongest in the relationship between Silas and Mary, whose story gives warmth and humanity to the larger historical world.

    Red, White and Black is a sweeping historical drama blending African American and Native American histories into haunting stage imagery and poetic spirit sequences. The play has a mythic quality as it explores painful human truths about displacement of slavery, identity, and belonging. The play’s emotional core comes through strongest in the relationship between Silas and Mary, whose story gives warmth and humanity to the larger historical world.

    ”
CHARACTERS
AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRIT
Can be of any age or gender but the actor must be African American. The Spirit can appear as
different genders at different times but always opposite the gender appearance of the Native
American Spirit. The spirit wears a mask.
NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRIT
Can be of any age or gender but the actor must be Native American. The Spirit can appear as
different genders at different times but always opposite the gender appearance of the African
American Spirit. The spirit wears a mask.
SILAS
African American male late 20’s to mid-thirties
MARY
Choctaw female early 40’s to early 50’s she must be played by a woman of authentic Native
American heritage, preferably Choctaw. The actor playing Mary is required to contact the
Choctaw nation via their website and learn the correct pronunciation of the Choctaw words
which are written phonetically in the script.
JACOB COLLINS
White male 40’s to 50’s
RUTH
White female 30’s to 40’s
SELIG RUTHERFORD a tobacco buyer for the American Tobacco Company, white
PREACHER MACREADY a Presbyterian preacher, white
SLAVE TRADER A Low life, white
CONQUISTADOR ghost of a 16th century Spanish explorer dressed in rags and remnants
VIKING ghost of a 12th century Viking explorer dressed in rags and remnants
LULU daughter of Silas and Mary
VINE son of Mary by her Choctaw husband, must be played by a Native American actor
PRINCIPAL works for the mission school in Indian Territory, white
TEXAN Bootlegger from Texas, white
CARLISLE son of prominent Indiana land owner and politician, white
DOUBLING
With doubling the play can be performed by a minimum of 7 actors.
Older Native American woman plays Mary in Acts 1 and 2 and ghost of Mary in Act 3
Older African American man plays Silas in Act s 1 and 2 and ghost of Silas in Act 3
Younger Native American man can play Native American spirit in Act 1 and Vine in Acts 2 and 3
Young mixed race woman can play African American spirit in Act 1 and Lulu in Acts 2 and 3
Older white male plays Jacob in Act 1 and Act3 and Conquistador ghost in Act 2
Older white female plays Ruth in Act 1 and Act 3 and Viking (shield maiden) ghost in Act 2
White male plays Selig, McCready and Slave Trader in Act 1, Texan, and Principal in Act 2 and
Carlisle in Act 3